Tag Archive: wise blood


Purity is the most mysterious of the virtues

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September 29, 2023

Notes on Flannery O’Connor’s ‘Wise Blood’ (with spoilers)

First edition of ‘Wise Blood’ published by Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1952

“All comic novels that are any good must be about life and death” wrote Flannery O’Connor in her note to the second edition of her debut novel ‘Wise Blood’.  

When I first read this book I was attracted to the gothic atmosphere and the ironic , distorted images of humankind. I took it to be a satire on religious extremism, having no idea at the time that the author was a devout Catholic and that for her the slogan  ‘Jesus Saves’ was meant as a statement of fact.

Despite her unwavering belief in grace and salvation, O’Connor knew full well the criticisms against the faithful and the arguments for atheism. Instead of mounting a defence of the Catholic Church, she presents the anti-religious viewpoint through the voice of the absurdist central character Hazel Motes. He is  a deeply troubled 18 year old who returns to a deserted home town of Eastrod after being discharged from the army. All his family are dead. He is alone, rootless and faithless.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY FLANNERY O’CONNOR

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March 25, 2013

Had she not been struck down by lupus at the woefully early age of 39, Flannery O’Connor would be celebrating her 88th birthday today.

Wise Blood is one of my all time favourite novels and I read it thinking it was a religious satire so was shocked to find that O’Connor lived and died a devout Catholic.

She was, by all accounts, a real eccentric and her skewed view of religion and the world around her comes through in her writing.

Although I am not a Catholic, or a believer for that matter, I can still appreciate the wit and wisdom of her work. I think it’s her compassion for the freaks of the world, of which she was probably one, which I value most.

Her ear for dialogue and compassion for the frailty of human beings also makes her all too slim body of work unique.

On my Bucket List is a literary tour of the USA and one of the stop off points would be her childhood home in Savannah, Georgia. The video tour at least allows me to see what I’m missing from the comfort of my study:

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THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO WOVENHAND

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December 2, 2010

According to Wikipedia, Colorado has an above average proportion of citizens who claim no religion – David Eugene Edwards is not among them.

Born in the city of Eaglewood in 1968, he makes no secret of the fact that he is a committed Christian who literally believes every word of the Bible.  He spent many of his formative years accompanying his grandfather, a Nazarene preacher, as he travelled through small towns to spread the word of the gospel.

In touring as leader of Alt.Country band 16 Horsepower, and now of  Wovenhand,  Edwards is a type of modern-day roving preacher-man delivering his sermons in the form of mostly very bleak songs.

He leaves the listener  in no doubt  that the wages of sin signify death and the prospect of eternal life in Christ doesn’t seem to provide much in the way of consolation or joy. Continue reading →

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CHURCH WITHOUT CHRIST

Filed under: Atheism, Books, Fiction — 4 Comments
May 20, 2008

flannery o'connor

“I preach there are all kinds of truth, your truth and somebody else’s, but behind all of them there’s only one truth and that is that there’s no truth ….no truth behind all truths is what I and this church preach! Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going never was there, and where you are is no good unless you can get away from it. Where is the place to be? No place”

Hazel Motes preaches for the Church Without Christ in the novel Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor

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